Rob Kuipers talks One of Six and Triad [Exclusive Interview]

Rob Kuipers talks One of Six and Triad

2/10/2019

Since this is your first written interview, so could you briefly give some basic information like where you're from, how long you've been producing, why you started producing, and the formation of One of Six?
I started producing all the way back in early 2012 when I first got acquainted with EDM. Artists like Basto, Avicii, Matisse & Sadko, and Otto Knows got me completely hooked on the beauty of the genre. The emotional melodies combined with power were a match made in heaven. I quickly got hooked on it and started searching for ways to replicate these tracks. Around the same time, I also taught myself how to play the piano. Both of these culminated when I came across FL Studio, which I still use to this day.

The first few years, I was only remaking the tracks I liked so that I could get a good idea of what it took to make a track. Like I mentioned before, I was really heavy into progressive house when I started, but when the hype around the genre died later on, I decided I wanted to try and produce multiple genres. I've produced moombahton for a few years, but I found that deep down inside I didn't truly liked the genre. That brings us to the present project of One Of Six.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by One Of Six (@oneofsixmusic) on Feb 8, 2019 at 3:00am PST

One Of Six signifies the genre and style I make today which is a mixture of progressive house and future bounce. My goal has been to combine the beautiful melodies of progressive with the dynamic rhythms and swing of future bounce. I chose the name, "One of Six," because I come from a family of six people, and well, I am one of them.

Tell us about your latest track, "Dance for Me," on Lacuna.
That track is one that I've had to hold back for a long time. I finished it early in September of last year after coming back from travelling. I had so much inspiration from that experience that I was able to make the whole track in around three days. After I finished, I reached out to the owner of Lacuna Records, and he told me they wanted to sign it. It took a little while to get it out, but I'm extremely excited to have released it. The track is inspired by old school house and disco through the vocals, break-beat, and vibey violins section. At the time, I was also listening to a lot of deep house whose influence also made it into the song. I tried to make sure my sound came through with its catchiness, emotional tones, and rhythmic energy, but I also produced it with radios and streaming platforms in mind.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by One Of Six (@oneofsixmusic) on Nov 21, 2018 at 4:24am PST

How did your travels influence the song?
I traveled through Europe with a friend for eight days by train. We saw so much during this time and met so many people with different practices and cultures. I always get inspired by what's around me and how it makes me feel. Throughout our whole journey, I felt so excited and energized by what we saw and I worked to translate that into the song.

Outside of production, you've expanded into other parts of the industry as well, forming Triad Records with Camille van Gurp and Lorinc Loczi. What made you want to get into managing a label in this day and age?

Ever since I got my music to a level where it could get signed on by at least medium-tier labels, I started to feel a bit of pressure. I was worried about not being able to make tracks of this level in the future - like if my creativity was finite. So in an effort to ease my mind, I decided that I wanted to do something else in the music industry that would make it so that I wouldn't have to solely focus on production to make ends meet. In addition, the chance of succeeding as an artist just from being a producer is extremely unlikely. Doing multiple things in the music industry would give me a bigger sense of security to make a living out of my passion for this music and industry.

I had been talking to Camille for quite a while on Facebook and one day, I sent him an ID of mine and he told me that he was developing a new label, Triad. He said he possibly wanted to sign it as a first release. I told him about my plans to expand into other parts of the industry and asked if I could join the Triad team as A&R. Then all of the sudden, he asked me whether I wanted to be the manager of the label.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect as I was just starting to get my name out there - Triad would be the perfect opportunity get some experience and expand my network. Even though school and producing takes up a lot of my time, I make sure to put in the extra hours to spend time on the label. Often times that leaves me with little time for rest but since I'm doing what I love, I don't mind it at all. Now, we run the label with a lot of passion and we invest all of our efforts into growing our fanbase, picking great releases, and do everything we can for the community. To do this, we try to engage them as much as we can and listen to what they have to say so that we can continue improving ourselves.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by One Of Six (@oneofsixmusic) on Jan 18, 2019 at 4:22pm PST

You mentioned that you're not splitting your time in 3 major ways between school, production, and running the label. What are you studying in school and how important to you think University is to having success in this industry?
I am currently in the last year of high school and coping with school in the middle of everything else I'm doing can often be quite hard. I try to clear as much work as possible before school starts so I can get to school with a fresh mind. In the lunch breaks, I manage all my Facebook messages, WhatsApp, or phone calls for One of Six and Triad. Then after school, I handle the graphics, promotion, and production for both of those projects. Lastly, before I go to bed, I do another round messaging and emails which can take upwards of thirty minutes to an hour.

View this post on Instagram

Follow your dreamsâ–¡ PS: I don't normally look this angry haha

A post shared by One Of Six (@oneofsixmusic) on Nov 9, 2018 at 8:13am PST

For me, having success in this industry is basically what I live for. My passion for music has grown to a point where I absolutely can't live without it. In late 2018, I decided that I wanted to do everything to pursue my true passion and that I wouldn't be going to university after finishing my exams. For the past couple of months, I've been working in absolute overdrive mode in order to gain more experience in this industry and extend my portfolio as an artist. Failing isn't an option for me and I will do everything to get myself where I want to be. Having a lot of contact with other people active in the industry keeps me focused, motivated and excited. I signed myself up for the Herman Brood Academy and I really hope I will be one of the lucky few who will be able to start the course there next year.

So you have no plans to attend University aside from Herman Brood?
I indeed don't have any plans to attend University which means I don't really have a backup plan. This thought gives me so much more motivation to work even harder to get there. If I won't be accepted at the Herman Brood Academy, I'm most likely going to take a gap year to work more on the One Of Six project, Triad, and everything else I've got going on.

Where do you see yourself in five years and what steps will you take to get there?
My absolute dream would be to get recognition for my music. So in five years, I hope to be able to make frequent releases on major dance labels and be able to have an impact on the people listening to my music. Networking is absolutely key in this case like getting to know new and influential people and becoming friends with them. Throughout my current journey, I've met so many new people who I've become really close friends with which is something I absolutely love.

I'm also on the search for a manager with whom I could combine forces to reach the ultimate dream. If this doesn't work out, I would also love to work on multiple other things within the music industry while still keeping my music on the side. A person I really look up to is Steve Void, he does so many different things in the music industry like running a label, managing multiple big Spotify playlists, doing insane promotional work for others, all while producing his own music as well. Networking is essential to do everything he does. Providing services for other people within the industry is also something that appeals to me.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by One Of Six (@oneofsixmusic) on Jan 26, 2019 at 3:25pm PST

Is there anything else about you that you want people to know about?
What I want people to know about me is the one thing I've always stood for: No matter what others say, believe in yourself. If you feel like you can do it, you can. Run the extra mile to accomplish your goals and never give up on your dreams.

A huge thank you to Rob for taking the time to answer our questions! Be sure to follow him through his One of Six accounts using the links below!